On Sep 16, 2008, at 12:06 PM, William Conger wrote:
I'm not sure I can go along with your benign acceptance of the art game business as usual, Michael. The effect of the Hist-Koons, et al bamboozles is that their work does become naturalized as milestones of art history. When deKooning was making paintings he was addressing art, art history, the great tradition. When these new manufacturers have their crews do this or that they are not thinking at all of art and its tradition but are making objects of wealth exchange. What else can you buy for 20 million that's as easy to care for than an artwork? It's presumably not subject to the world markets like investment papers. It's easier to care for than a yacht, or a big building, or a risky adventure in third world forests, etc. If you had 100 million in cash to park and protect, a Koons, a Hirst, a Murikami (sp?) might be smart. Your billionaire friends will be jealous and will try to prove to you and others that they are richer and can bid up the prices. Art has nothing to do with it....but it doee, crazily, get into the art history mainstream and will affect the arts for decades to come.
My "benign acceptance" is mostly a "what can you do about those wacky rich folks" stance. Watching billionaires one-upping each other with wall-trinkets is one thing. It's just a matter of fancier things for richer people.
But as for its getting into the art history mainstream, whose fault is that? Art historians and knowledgeable writers in the art press, via the sales patter of gallery owners and other sales brokers, I suppose. But art historians and writers should know better, they should be alert to the fact that Hirst is hustling and not pursuing a more valid purpose, shouldn't they?
The heavy breathing happens in the popular press, but art history and art dialogue--the context of DeKooning, LeWitt, Picasso, Breton, all of 'em--should be less susceptible to palpitations and swoons.
It seems to me that you object to the range and degree of *post-WWII* consumer-culture mercantilism and marketing. This is just the latest manifestation of that phenomenon.
BTW, no grammar napkins or foreign language accents were injured in the sending of this message. <g>
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